Engine.



A. VAN ALTENA.

ENGINE.

EPQQ49814Q AfPLlCATION FILED OCT. 7. I914- May-1, 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A, VAN ALTENA.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7. 1914.

Patented May 1, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

A. VAN ALTENA. ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 7. 1914 L%24,@1 &., Patented May 1, 1917.

(June/whoa Qbliomeg wi/bneooao ANTON VAN ALTENA, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Application filed October 7, 1914. Serial No. 865,525.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANTON VAN ALTENA, a citizen of the Netherlands, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines the object in view being to provide eflicient means for thoroughly scavenging the burned gas from the combustion space of the cylinder of the engine immediately following the working stroke of the main piston, and subsequently drawing in a fresh charge of mixture preparatory to the return or compression stroke of said main piston.

A further object of the invention is to provide in connection with the main piston, an auxiliary or supplemental piston for performing the scavenging and suction operations above referred to, and further to provide simple and positively operating means whereby the scavenging and charging piston is driven from the crank shaft of the engine and properly timed with relation tothe movements of the main piston.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section through a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine embodying the present invention, sa1d section being taken about in line with the crank shaft and diametrically of the cylinders.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on. the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the l1ne 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross section through the engine, taken in line with the exhaust port.

The engine illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in the main, resembles in its general construction and arrangement the ordinary reciprocatory internal combustion engine of the present day, said engine comprising the usual crank case 1, crank shaft 2, pistons 3, cylinders 4 and connectlng rods 5.

In carrying out the present invention, I provide in connection with each cylinder 4 and piston 3 an auxiliary or supplemental piston 6 which is mounted for reciprocatory movement in the same cylinder with the piston 3 as clearly shown in the drawings, the said piston 6 being used for the purpose of forcing out the burned gases from the cylinder at the expiration of the power stroke of the main piston and being also used for the purpose of drawing in a fresh charge of mixture preparatory to the return movement of the main piston on its compressing stroke. A piston 6 is used in con nection with each of the cylinders, and the said pistons 6 are connected by rods 7 to an overhead crank shaft 8 arranged at the opposite end of the cylinders from the mam crank shaft 2 as clearly shown in the drawings. The crank shaft 8 is journaled in bearings 9 shown as fastened to the outer heads of the cylinders and water jackets, the latter being indicated at 10, and at one end, the crank shaft 8 is provided with a terminal crank 11 to the wrist pin 12 of which is attached a connecting rod 13 which extends toward the crank shaft 2 as shown in Fig. 2. Where more than one cylinder is employed, a corresponding number of cranks 11 and connecting rods 13 will, of course, be used to provide for the actuation and timin of the auxiliary or supplemental pistons The connecting rod 13 is provided with an upper pushing roller 15 and a lower pull-down roller 16 arranged respectively above and below the crank shaft 2. Fast on the crank shaft 2 is a two-faced cam designated generally by the reference character A, said cam being provided with a pushing cam face 17 which acts under and against the roller 15 to impart an upward movement to the connecting rod 13 and the cam further comprises a pull-down face 18 which acts against the roller16 to impart a downward movement to the connecting rod 13. The shaft 8 is mounted for oscillatory or rocking movement and does not rotate and therefore the crank arm 11 and the cam faces 17 and 18 are so proportioned as to impart an oscillatory movement to the cranks .19 of the shaft 8 in each revolution of th crank shaft 2. In Fig. 1, which shows a two-cylinder engine, the operating connections between the crank shaft 2 and the oscillatory crank shaft 8 are duplicated at each side of the'engine.

In order to regulate the movement of each of the connecting rods 13, a swinging link 20 connects the crank shaft 2 with a wrist pin 21 on the curved portion or extension 14 of said connecting rod 13 as .indicated in one of the cross sectional views, said link 20 being journaled on the shaft 2 so that it may swing back and forth freely as the connecting rod 13 moves upwardly'and downwardly.

For each engine embodying two cylinders a common intake port 22 and a common exhaust port 23 are provided as best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, there being two valve chambers arranged between and common to both cylinders, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, said valve chambers containing the reciprocatory piston valves 24 and 25. Each of these valves is closed at its opposite ends or at the top and bottom as shown in Fig. 3 and is provided with a plurality of ports 26 and 27 in opposite sides thereof while there is a port 28 leading from each valve chamber into one of the cylinders of the engine. The intake port 22 extends across the top of the valve chamber containing the valve 24, so as to communicate with both ports 28 and the valve chambers are placed in communication with each other by an intermediate port 29 so that the exhaust gas received by the valve 24 may pass through the port 29 and through the other valve 25 and through the exhaust port 23.

In Fig. 3 one of the valves is open and the other valve closed, the incoming gas following the direction of the arrows and being out OK by the valve 24 and being admitted above the head of the valve 25 through the port 28 into the cylinder. In the exhaust cycle, the burned gases pass from the cylinder outwardly through the port 28 thence into the port 26 to the valve 24 and into the port 29 and valve 25 to the exhaust port 23. When the valve 25 is raised and the valve 24 lowered, the intake and exhaust operations are practically the same as above stated, the exhaust in both instances passing through the valve 25 which is provided with the'oppositely located ports 26 and 27, for that purpose.

The valves 24 and 25 are driven by rods 30 and 31, respectively, which are connected by sectional straps to eccentrics 33 or other equivalent means on the central portion of the crank shaft 2 as shown in Fig. 1.

To provide for the proper relative adjustment between the upper crank shaft and the yoke which is operated upon by the cam A, each connecting rod 13 is made longitudinally extensible by dividing the same between its ends and overlapping the parts of said connecting rod, one of said parts being provided with clamping bolts 34 and the other part of the rod being provided with a longitudinal slot 35 as illustrated in Fig. 2 in which I have shown also an adjusting screw 36 for accurately adjusting the overlapping sections 13 relatively to each other.

This provides for a fine adjustment between the two sections of each connecting rod to properly time the movement of the parts associated therewith.

From the foregoing description it will now be seen that the engine hereinabovedescribed and shown in the drawings operates on the two-cycle principle, there being a power impulse for each back and forth movement of the piston. The auxiliary or supplemental piston in each cylinder is so timed with respect to the main piston 3 that during the explosion period the piston 6 re mains at the outer end of the combustion chamber while the piston 3 is moving inwardly on its power stroke. As the power piston 3 completes its active stroke, the piston 6 moves quickly inward toward the main piston 3 and the exhaust port being opened at this time, the burned gases are expelled through the exhaust port and immediately thereafter the exhaust cut-ofi' valve closes and then immediately the intake cut-off valve is opened and in the return or outward movement of the piston 6, a fresh charge of gas is drawn into the combustion chamber. This prevents back firing to the carbureter. The main piston 3 then makes its return stroke and. in approaching the piston 6, compresses the charge of gas previously drawn into the combustion chamber, the compression stroke being immediately followed by ignition and another power stroke of the piston 3. Bythemeans described all of the old gas is expelled from the cylinder before a fresh charge is drawn into the same thus producing a more brisk explosion than that obtained in four-cycle engines by reason of the scavenging stroke of the piston 6. The scavenging piston ex;

pels all of the burned gas and insures a perfectly fresh new charge and better results than in the ordinary four-cycle engine in which the 'final compression space between the piston and cylinder head always holds a certain amount of old gas which mixes with the new gas and interferes with perfect combustion.- Additionally, the weight per horse power of the engine is materially reduced and the mechanism for operating the auxiliary pistons is comparatively noiseless and inexpensive thus producing a quietly running engine and one which may be manufactured at less cost than the ordinary four cycle engine. An engine constructed in accordance with the foregoing description is well adapted for aeronautical purposes and for light and speedy water craft, as well as automobiles, trucks, cycle cars, motorcycles,

stationary engines and in fact the engine is 12 adapted for use wherever power "is needed and is also adapted for any kind of fuel 1,224,814 tilt combination of a rotary crank shaft,a cylinder, a reciprocatory powenpiston, connected to said rotary crank shaft, a second reciprocatory piston working in the same cylinder and operating to scavenge the burned gas in each complete cycle of operation of the engine, a second crank shaft located at the opposite end of the cylinder from the first crank shaft and having said second piston connected therewith, a cam on the first crank shaft, and a connecting rod forming a direct operating connection between said cam and the second crank shaft, said connecting rod embodying a substantially semicircular yoke embracing the first crank shaft and having rollerspcoacting with the cam at opposite'sides of the first crank shaft.

2. In an 'internal combustion engine, the

combination of a rotary crank shaft, a cylinder, a reciprocatory power piston connected to said rotary crank shaft, a second reciprocatory piston working in the same cylinder the second crank shaft, said connecting rod being longitudinally extensible and'embodying a substantially semicircular yoke embracing the first crank shaft and having rollers coacting with the cam at opposite sides of the first crank shaft.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of witnesses.

, ANTON VAN ALTENA.

Witnesses: I

W. G. Sorrow),- FRED A. HARRIS,

PETER J. MONAGHAN. 

